Telcos settling scores with rivals through PILs, says high court

The Delhi High Court has accused telecom companies of using the court as a platform for settling scores against their rivals by prompting others to file PILs challenging government's spectrum allocation and auctioning policy before it.

The Delhi High Court has accused telecom companies of using the court as a platform for settling scores against their rivals by prompting others to file PILs challenging government's spectrum allocation and auctioning policy before it.

“These are frivolous litigations. Private parties are behind theses litigations... Nothing has to come out from such PILs. It's waste of time,” a bench headed by Chief Justice A P Shah said while dismissing a PIL filed by an NGO Society for Awareness and Development challenging the auctioning policy.

The Delhi High Court, which is has recently been hearing various matters over allotment of 2G and auction of 3G spectrum by the Department of Telecom (DoT), said such petitions are filed by business rivals in the telecom sector.

The court also said that similar litigations with almost same issues are also going to the telecom tribunal TDSAT.